Reports of cattle dying and water shortages are
                 frightening away foreign tourists to the desert
                 state, who are its economic lifeline, say
                 observers

                 JAISALMER (India) -- The severe drought gripping
                 50 million people across vast swathes of India is
                 threatening to dry up the flow of foreign tourists that
                 are the lifeblood of regions like the desert state of
                 Rajasthan.

                 Rising out of the sandy plains of the Thar desert, the
                 sandstone city of Jaisalmer with its stunning fort is one
                 of India's top tourist destinations and a crucial foreign
                 exchange earner for the Rajasthan state government.

                 But hoteliers in the "Golden City" say many
                 off-season visitors have been frightened away by the
                 current heat wave, and tour operators know that a
                 prolonged drought could decimate bookings for the
                 high-budget winter season.

                 "Right now we cannot even dream of a tourist inflow,"
                 said Mr Rajat Mishra, chief administrator of Jaisalmer
                 district.

                 Already carcasses of cattle dot the undulating desert,
                 which is normally crowded with Western adventure
                 seekers taking camel safaris during the peak tourism
                 season that opens in September and ends in March.

                 The drought in Rajasthan -- the worst in 40 years --
                 has affected more than 20 million people in 26 of the
                 state's 32 districts and triggered massive food and
                 water shortages.

                 Rajasthan is the worst of the five Indian states
                 affected by the drought.

                 Mr Mishra said a lot would depend on whether the
                 summer monsoon broke on time.

                 "Otherwise the situation will worsen," he predicted of
                 the local tourism industry which flourished in the
                 1990s.

                 The number of overseas arrivals last year matched the
                 local population of 50,000 and foreign currency
                 earnings between September and March totalled
                 around US$3 million (S$5.1 million).

                 Income from tourism has been increasing annually by
                 around 26 per cent, but there are strong concerns that
                 the drought will have a lasting impact.

                 "The reports of livestock dying and people suffering
                 because of water shortages is bound to put off
                 European visitors," said Mr Man Singh, president of
                 the Jaisalmer Hotel Association.

                 Mr Singh's Himmatgar Palace was one of the first
                 hotels in Jaisalmer, which now has around 97 offering
                 405 rooms during the season, when state-owned
                 Indian Airlines operates special flights to an army
                 airfield here.

                 "Every house becomes a hotel during the season," Mr
                 Singh said, reflecting the local economy's dependence
                 on the tourist trade.

                 Tour and safari operators are preparing for the worst.

                 "Who would pay us 100 dollars for a desert safari
                 just to stumble on some stinking carcass?" asked
                 travel operator Ram Mohan Lal. -- AFP

                       Adapted from The Straits Times, 2 May 2000.